JP4374857B2 - Precipitation plate manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a deposition plate manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a deposition plate of an object to be melted under a processing environment different from an external environment.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The conventional deposition plate manufacturing apparatus has a deposition mechanism disposed above the melting furnace containing the melt of the object to be melted, and the substrate for deposition is carried in from the outside by the substrate carry-in / out mechanism and delivered to the deposition mechanism, The deposition substrate is lowered obliquely from above and immersed in the molten metal of the melting furnace. Then, after the object to be dissolved is deposited on the substrate surface of the deposition substrate, the deposition substrate is pulled up from the molten metal and delivered to the substrate carry-in / out mechanism to be carried out of the apparatus. Then, it is comprised so that the precipitation plate of predetermined thickness may be manufactured by peeling a deposit from the board | substrate for precipitation (for example, patent document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-289544
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described conventional configuration, the period until the deposition substrate is transferred from the substrate loading / unloading mechanism to the deposition mechanism and immersed in the molten metal of the melting furnace and then transferred to the substrate loading / unloading mechanism, The deposition substrate cannot be immersed in the melt of the melting furnace. As a result, there is a problem that productivity is low due to an increase in cycle time for immersing the deposition substrate in the molten metal.
[0005]
Accordingly, the present invention provides a deposition plate manufacturing apparatus that can shorten the cycle time for immersing the deposition substrate in the molten metal and increase the productivity.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1, to dissolve the soluble object, a melting furnace for containing a molten metal dissolution object is dissolved, each coupled to the outside of the apparatus, immersed in the melt and Type out the deposition plate substrate which is in the detachable position, and a plurality of substrate loading and unloading mechanism that is placed across the melting furnace in a direction crossing the loading and unloading direction of the substrate for the deposition plate, each and wear detachable substrate gripping mechanism the deposition substrate which is loading and unloading the substrate loading and unloading mechanism in the detachable position, the substrate holding mechanism, after moving from the detachable position to the melting furnace, by lowering It is characterized by having a said precipitating substrate mounted on the substrate holding mechanism precipitation mechanism which is immersed in the melt.
[0007]
According to the above configuration, since the melting furnace containing the molten metal can be shared by a plurality of substrate carry-in / out mechanisms, for example, the deposition substrate is transferred from the substrate carry-in / out mechanism to the precipitation mechanism and immersed in the molten metal of the melting furnace. And the operation of pulling up the deposition substrate from the melt of the melting furnace and delivering it to the substrate carry-in / out mechanism can be carried out continuously at short time intervals. As a result, high productivity can be obtained by shortening the cycle time for immersing the deposition substrate in the molten metal.
[0008]
Further, if the substrate gripping mechanism is kept at the attachment / detachment position, the deposition substrate from the outside of the apparatus is carried into the attachment / detachment position, and at the same time, the attachment of the deposition substrate by the substrate gripping mechanism is completed. When the deposition substrate is immersed in the molten metal, the deposition substrate is moved in a direction crossing the loading / unloading direction of the deposition substrate, so that the deposition substrate is moved from the attachment / detachment position to the molten metal and when immersed in the molten metal. Does not fall off the substrate gripping mechanism. Further, even when moving from the molten metal to the attachment / detachment position, since the substrate gripping mechanism is moved in a direction intersecting the loading / unloading direction, the deposition substrate does not fall off from the substrate gripping mechanism. Thereafter, the substrate gripping mechanism is moved to the attachment / detachment position and moved in the carry-out direction, and at the same time, the deposition substrate is removed from the substrate gripping mechanism and can be carried out of the apparatus. Thereby, since no waiting time occurs between the carry-in / out operation of the deposition substrate and the dipping operation, high productivity can be realized.
[0009]
A second aspect of the present invention, a deposition plate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate loading and unloading mechanism is arranged in parallel on the left and right symmetrical or a left-right pair on the loading and unloading direction about the melting furnace It is characterized by having.
[0010]
According to said structure, since the melting furnace which accommodated the molten metal can be shared by two board | substrate carrying in / out mechanisms, cycle time which immerses the substrate for precipitation in molten metal can be shortened, and productivity can be improved more. it can. Furthermore, since the same deposition mechanism can be used for each substrate carry-in / out mechanism, the apparatus cost can be reduced.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 5, the semiconductor substrate manufacturing apparatus, which is the deposition plate manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment, places the deposition substrate 14 on the molten metal 15 so that the conveyance paths of the illustrated alternate long and short dashed lines do not intersect. By reciprocating, as shown in FIG. 2, a sheet-like precipitation plate 2 containing Si as a main component is manufactured. The semiconductor substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 is a kind of precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus. The precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus heats and melts a melting target object 101 such as a semiconductor material or a metal material to form a molten metal, and uses the melting target object 101 as a sheet. It means an apparatus that is manufactured so as to form a shaped precipitation plate 2. Moreover, as the melt | dissolution target object 101, metal materials, such as iron and titanium other than semiconductor materials, such as Si, can be mentioned.
[0012]
The semiconductor substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a vacuum vessel 4 having a double wall structure that can isolate the inside from an external environment in a sealed state. The vacuum vessel 4 forms a sealed processing chamber 3. The processing chamber 3 includes a deposition mechanism accommodation space 3a, a substrate movement space 3b, and a molten metal accommodation space 3c in the vertical direction. The deposition mechanism accommodation space 3a is located at the uppermost part and is formed so as to accommodate a deposition mechanism 10 described later. The substrate movement space 3b is located between the deposition mechanism accommodation space 3a and the molten metal accommodation space 3c, and accommodates an intermediate mechanism portion 60b of a substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60 described later provided in two sets in the vertical direction in FIG. It is formed to do. The molten metal accommodation space 3c is located at the lowermost part and is formed to accommodate a crucible device 75 described later.
[0013]
The vacuum vessel 4 is connected to a gas supply device (not shown) that supplies an inert gas such as Ar gas and a vacuum exhaust device (not shown) that exhausts the air in the processing chamber 3. In these apparatuses, a processing environment different from the external environment appears in the processing chamber 3 by supplying an inert gas while reducing the processing chamber 3 to a predetermined pressure.
[0014]
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a carry-in mechanism portion 60 a of the substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60 is arranged on the upstream side (left side in the drawing) in the transport direction with respect to the vacuum container 4. On the other hand, an unloading mechanism 60c of the substrate unloading / unloading mechanism 60 is disposed on the downstream side (right side in the drawing) in the transport direction with respect to the vacuum container 4. These carry-in mechanism part 60a and carry-out mechanism part 60c and the above-mentioned intermediate mechanism part 60b are arranged horizontally in a straight line. The carry-in mechanism section 60a is provided in the partition walls 62a, 62b, and 62c having a rectangular vertical cross section, a plurality of viewing windows 67 that allow the operator to view the inside of the partition walls 62a, and the deposition substrate 14 mounted thereon. 2 is provided which is moved in the transport direction while being placed.
[0015]
The partition walls 62a, 62b, and 62c are partitioned into a pressure adjustment chamber 61a, a preheating chamber 61b, and a standby chamber 61c. These chambers 61a, 61b, 61c are provided in this order from the upstream side in the transport direction. The pressure regulation chamber 61a is set to a size that can accommodate six deposition substrates 14 in series. Further, one end of the pressure adjusting chamber 61a communicates with the outside of the apparatus at atmospheric pressure, and the other end communicates with the preheating chamber 61b.
[0016]
A first shielding plate 63 and a second shielding plate 64 are provided at one end and the other end of the pressure adjusting chamber 61a, respectively. Each of the shielding plates 63 and 64 can be moved up and down by a cylinder device (not shown), and the lifting operation is controlled by a control device (not shown). Specifically, the first shielding plate 63 is raised when the deposition substrate 14 is carried into the pressure adjustment chamber 61a, and is lowered so as to seal one end of the pressure adjustment chamber 61a in an airtight state after carrying in. On the other hand, the second shielding plate 64 is raised so as to open the other end of the second shielding plate 64 when the deposition substrate 14 is transported from the pressure adjustment chamber 61a to the preheating chamber 61b. An exhaust system 66 is connected to the pressure adjustment chamber 61a through an electromagnetic valve 65. The exhaust system 66 can depressurize the pressure adjustment chamber 61a to a vacuum state. The electromagnetic valve 65 is closed when the deposition substrate 14 is carried into the pressure adjustment chamber 61a, and is opened so that the pressure regulation chamber 61a is decompressed after the deposition substrate 14 is loaded.
[0017]
The preheating chamber 61b communicated with the pressure adjusting chamber 61a via the second shielding plate 64 is set to a size that can accommodate six deposition substrates 14 in series, similarly to the pressure adjusting chamber 61a. ing. Similar to the vacuum vessel 4, the preheating chamber 61 b is surrounded by a double-walled partition wall 62 b. One end of the preheating chamber 61 b can be opened and closed by the above-described second shielding plate 64, and the other end is partitioned by the first partition member 68. As shown in FIG. 2, the first partition member 68 is provided so as to form a gap that allows the deposition substrate 14 transported by the transport roller 59 to pass therethrough.
[0018]
A first preheating heater 82 is provided in the preheating chamber 61b. The first preheating heater 82 is disposed so as to face the deposition substrate 14 located at the upstream end in the transport direction. Then, the first preheating heater 82 raises the temperature difference between the molten metal 15 and the deposition substrate 14 by heating the deposition substrate 14 to a predetermined temperature when the deposition substrate 14 is opposed. It is supposed to be constant. The first preheating heater 82 may be a system that heats a heating wire by generating heat by energization, or may be a system that heats using a magnetic induction. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an exhaust system 66 is connected to the preheating chamber 61b so as to suck in impurity gas diffused from the deposition substrate 14 during preheating. The suction port of the exhaust system 66 is close to the first preheater heater 82 so as to efficiently suck the impurity gas.
[0019]
The preheating chamber 61 b communicates with the standby chamber 61 c through the first partition member 68. The standby chamber 61 c is surrounded by a partition wall 62 c having a double wall structure like the vacuum vessel 4. Further, one end and the other end of the standby chamber 61c are partitioned by a first partition member 68 and a second partition member 69, respectively. The second partition member 69 is formed and provided so as to pass the deposition substrate 14 and a substrate feed mechanism 70 described later. The standby chamber 61c is provided with a second preheating heater 83 similar to the first preheating heater 82 described above.
[0020]
The second preheating heater 83 is arranged so as to face the deposition substrate 14 in the standby state. The second preheating heater 83 heats and raises the temperature of the deposition substrate 14 preheated by the first preheating heater 82 when the deposition substrate 14 is opposed, so that the molten metal 15 and the deposition substrate 14 are heated. The temperature difference between and is made constant in a reduced state. The second preheating heater 83 may be used for fine adjustment of the preheating temperature of the deposition substrate 14 or used for preventing excessive temperature drop of the deposition substrate 14 during the standby period. Also good. Further, an exhaust system 66 is connected to the standby chamber 61c so as to suck in impurity gas diffused from the deposition substrate 14 during preheating. The suction port of the exhaust system 66 is close to the second preheating heater 83 so as to efficiently suck the impurity gas.
[0021]
The standby chamber 61 c communicates with the processing chamber 3 through the second partition member 69. The processing chamber 3 accommodates the intermediate mechanism portion 60 b of the substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60. As shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate mechanism portion 60 b includes a first transport table 84 and a second transport table 85 on which the deposition substrate 14 is movably mounted. One end of the first transfer table 84 is advanced into the standby chamber 61 c so as to be close to the end of the transfer roller 59. The first transfer table 84 and the second transfer table 85 are arranged in series at a predetermined interval on the upstream side (left side in the figure) and the downstream side (right side in the figure) of the processing chamber 3. The gap between the transfer tables 84 and 85 is set as an attachment / detachment position A for delivering the deposition substrate 14 between the substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60 and the deposition mechanism 10.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 1, a substrate feed mechanism 70 is disposed on the side of the first transfer table 84. The substrate feed mechanism 70 includes a plurality of claw members 71, a claw support member 72 that cantilever-supports these claw members 71 on the free end side, and a claw swivel that rotatably supports a base end portion of the claw support member 72 A mechanism 73, and a claw turning mechanism 73 and a claw support member 72 and a claw advance / retreat mechanism 74 for moving the claw member 71 back and forth in the transport direction are provided. Each of the claw members 71 has an arrangement interval so as to sandwich both measurement surfaces of the deposition substrate 14 and is predetermined so as to expand the gap between the adjacent deposition substrates 14 and 14 to a predetermined width. The thickness is set. The claw turning mechanism 73 is composed of a motor with a clutch or the like, and turns the claw member 71 so that it can be positioned above and to the side of the deposition substrate 14 by turning in the forward and reverse directions. . The claw advance / retreat mechanism 74 is formed of an air cylinder or the like, and the moving distance per time is set to the length of the deposition substrate 14.
[0023]
The substrate feeding mechanism 70 configured as described above includes an operation of gripping the deposition substrate 14 with a claw member 71 at a predetermined interval, an operation of moving the claw member 71 in the transport direction, and a deposition substrate 14. By repeating the operation of opening the claw member 71 and the operation of moving the claw member 71 in the direction opposite to the conveying direction, the deposition substrate 14 carried into the standby chamber 61c from the preheating chamber 61b is transferred to the second preheating heater 83. Are sequentially fed to the preheating position and the attachment / detachment position A, and are sent from the attachment / detachment position A to the carry-out mechanism 60c.
[0024]
The substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60 composed of each of the mechanism portions 60a to 60c is arranged in parallel symmetrically about the crucible device 75. As shown in FIG. 2, the crucible device 75 supports the crucible 76 that accommodates the molten metal 15, the induction heating coil 77 disposed around the side wall of the crucible 76, and the crucible 76 and the induction heating coil 77. And a crucible support base 78. A high frequency power source is connected to the induction heating coil 77 via a power cable (not shown). Thereby, the induction heating coil 77 generates an alternating magnetic field around the crucible 76 when high frequency AC power is supplied from the high frequency power source, and induction heating is mainly performed on the surface side of the crucible 76. Yes.
[0025]
The crucible 76 is formed in a circular shape in plan view as shown in FIG. The crucible 76 may be formed in a rectangular shape or an elliptical shape in plan view so that the traveling direction of the deposition substrate 14 is long. In this case, it is possible to prevent the side wall of the crucible 76 from becoming an obstacle when the deposition substrate 14 is immersed, while suppressing the capacity of the molten metal 15 to a minimum. The crucible 76 has a bottom wall with a sufficiently large thickness so that a large amount of heat is transmitted from the two directions of the side surface and the bottom surface. On the other hand, the side wall of the crucible 76 is set to a thickness that is less than the penetration depth of electromagnetic induction, and by causing the molten metal 15 to convect, the fall center such as dust solidifies the center of the surface of the molten metal 15. Is preventing.
[0026]
A supply mechanism 90 that supplies the object to be melted 101 is provided obliquely above the crucible device 75. The supply mechanism 90 is provided on the wall surface on the downstream side in the transport direction in the vacuum container 4. The supply mechanism 90 includes a storage partition wall 91 having one end opened in the processing chamber 3, and a shield capable of airtightly separating the storage partition wall 91 into a supply chamber 93 on the processing chamber 3 side and a preparation chamber 94 on the atmosphere side. A mechanism 92, a lid member 95 that can open and close the preparation chamber 94 to the atmosphere side, and a raw material conveyance mechanism 96 that conveys the object to be melted 101 from the preparation chamber 94 to above the crucible 76.
[0027]
In addition, a first viewing window portion 4 a of the vacuum vessel 4 is disposed on the side of the supply mechanism 90. The first viewing window 4a is provided with a first imaging device 8a such as a CCD camera. The first imaging device 8a is set to image the molten metal 15 together with the crucible 76, and can detect the molten metal surface height of the molten metal 15 based on the imaging signal. A second viewing window portion 4b is disposed on the side wall surface of the vacuum container 4 on the downstream side in the transport direction. The second viewing window 4b is provided with a second imaging device 8b such as a CCD camera. The second imaging device 8b is set to capture an area viewed from the reverse direction that cannot be captured by the first imaging device 8a.
[0028]
The operations of the imaging devices 8a and 8b and the supply mechanism 90 are controlled by a control device (not shown). The control device includes a calculation unit, a storage unit, an input / output unit, and the like, and includes various functions for controlling each mechanism of the semiconductor substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 individually and in conjunction with each other. Specifically, the function of detecting the molten metal level of the molten metal 15 based on the brightness of the imaging signal from the first imaging device 8a and the supply so that the detected molten metal level becomes a predetermined reference height. The mechanism 90 has a function of controlling the supply timing and supply amount of the dissolution object 101.
[0029]
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a deposition mechanism 10 is provided above the crucible device 75. The deposition mechanism 10 moves the substrate gripping mechanism 51 described later between the attachment / detachment position A and the molten metal 15 of the crucible device 75 in a direction perpendicular to the loading / unloading direction, thereby depositing the substrate gripping mechanism 51. The substrate 14 is soaked in the molten metal 15 and pulled up. Specifically, the deposition mechanism 10 holds the other surface of the deposition substrate 14 from the lower side through the substrate gripping mechanism 51 at the attachment / detachment position A, and the deposition mechanism 10 holds the deposition substrate 14 at the immersion position in the molten metal 15. The deposition substrate 14 is moved in the crossing direction together with the substrate gripping mechanism 51 by turning the rotation substrate about the rotation axis while supporting the deposition substrate 14 so that the other surface is located on the upper side.
[0030]
The deposition mechanism 10 includes a horizontal movement mechanism 13, a vertical movement mechanism 11 that can be moved horizontally by the horizontal movement mechanism 13, and a turning mechanism 12 that can be moved up and down by the vertical movement mechanism 11. The horizontal movement mechanism 13 is provided on the upper surface of the partition wall 62c surrounding the standby chamber 61c. As shown in FIG. 3, the horizontal movement mechanism 13 includes a horizontal conveyance unit 16 that is orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and a horizontal drive unit 17 that drives the horizontal conveyance unit 16. The horizontal transfer unit 16 is arranged in the horizontal direction, one end side is arranged outside the vacuum vessel 4, and the other end side is arranged in the processing chamber 3 in the vacuum vessel 4.
[0031]
As shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal conveying unit 16 includes a screw shaft member 18 having a screw groove formed on the entire peripheral surface, a block member 19 screwed into the screw shaft member 18, and a lower surface of the block member 19. And a connecting member 21 provided on the upper surface of the block member 19 and connected to the vertical moving mechanism 11. Furthermore, the horizontal conveyance part 16 has the connection shaft member 24 connected with the end of the screw shaft member 18, and extended outside the vacuum vessel 4, as shown in FIG. A horizontal drive unit 17 is coupled to one end of the coupling shaft member 24. The horizontal drive unit 17 includes a horizontal drive device 23 such as a servo motor that can be rotated forward and backward at an arbitrary rotation speed and can be stopped with a predetermined holding force. The horizontal driving device 23 enables the vertical movement mechanism 11 to move to an arbitrary position in the horizontal direction by rotating the screw shaft member 18 forward and backward via the connecting shaft member 24.
[0032]
As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical movement mechanism 11 horizontally moved by the horizontal movement mechanism 13 includes a vertical conveyance unit 30 arranged in the vertical direction and a vertical drive unit provided at the upper end of the vertical conveyance unit 30. 31. The vertical conveyance unit 30 includes a screw shaft member (not shown) in which a screw groove is formed on the entire peripheral surface, a block member 33 that is screwed to the screw shaft member and the swivel mechanism 12 is connected to the front surface (right surface in the drawing), It has a rail member 34 that supports the back surface (left surface in the figure) of the block member 33 so as to be movable up and down.
[0033]
A vertical drive unit 31 is connected to the upper end of the vertical transport unit 30. The vertical drive unit 31 includes a vertical drive device 35 such as a servo motor that can rotate forward and reverse at an arbitrary rotation speed and can be stopped with a predetermined holding force, and a cooling device 36 that cools the vertical drive device 35. ing. The vertical drive device 35 is connected to the upper end portion of the screw shaft member, and moves the turning mechanism 12 to an arbitrary height position in the vertical direction via the block member 33 and the like by rotating the screw shaft member forward and backward. It is possible.
[0034]
The cooling device 36 stores the vertical drive device 35 so as to be isolated from the processing environment of the processing chamber 3, and includes a storage container 25 in which an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or a cooling gas such as air is enclosed, and a storage container. It has a cooling pipe (not shown) that allows a cooling medium such as cooling water to flow along the wall surface of the storage container 25 by being joined to the wall surface of the storage container 25. And the cooling device 36 maintains the accommodation environment in the storage container 25 below predetermined temperature by heat-exchanging cooling gas with cooling media, such as the cooling water which distribute | circulates cooling piping. The cooling device 36 may be configured to supply and discharge cooling gas from outside the vacuum container 3 into the storage container 25 and circulate it.
[0035]
The vertical movement mechanism 11 supports the turning mechanism 12 so as to be movable up and down. The turning mechanism 12 includes a connection support body 38 having one end face connected to the block member 33, a turning drive part 39 connected to the upper surface of the connection support body 38, and an immersion mechanism part 37 driven to turn by the turning drive part 39. And have. The turning drive unit 39 includes a turning drive device 40 such as a servo motor that can rotate at an arbitrary rotation speed and can be stopped with a predetermined holding force, and a cooling device 41 that cools the turning drive device 40. .
[0036]
Similar to the vertical drive unit 31, the cooling device 41 is configured to exhibit the same cooling function by the same member as the above-described cooling device 36 having the storage container 25 and the like. The swivel drive device 40 in the cooling device 41 is disposed such that the swivel drive shaft 40 a is horizontally disposed and the tip of the swivel drive shaft 40 a faces the block member 33. The turning drive shaft 40a is provided with a driving sprocket 42a. Below the driving sprocket 42a, an intermediate sprocket 42b and a turning sprocket 42c are arranged in this order. The drive sprocket 42a is connected to the intermediate sprocket 42b via the first chain 43a, and the intermediate sprocket 42b is connected to the turning sprocket 42c via the second chain 43b.
[0037]
The turning sprocket 42 c is provided on the rotating shaft member 44. The rotary shaft member 44 is supported by the first support member 45 so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction. The first support member 45 rotatably supports the intermediate sprocket 42b. As shown also in FIG. 3, the first support member 45 is suspended from the connection support 38 and is provided so as to protect the intermediate sprocket 42 b and the chains 43 a and 43 b from the radiant heat of the molten metal 15.
[0038]
One end of the rotary shaft member 44 supported by the first support member 45 is connected to a rotary encoder 46. The rotary encoder 46 can detect the turning angle of the immersion mechanism unit 37 by detecting the rotation angle of the rotating shaft member 44. A cover member 47 is provided around the rotary encoder 46. The cover member 47 has a function as a heat shielding plate that blocks radiant heat from the molten metal 15 and a function as a dust-proof cover in which dust that scatters and floats from the molten metal 15 adheres to the rotary encoder 46.
[0039]
On the other hand, the other end portion of the rotating shaft member 44 is connected to the immersion mechanism portion 37. The immersion mechanism unit 37 is provided on the pivot shaft 49, a second support member 48 suspended from the lower surface of the connection support 38, a pivot shaft 49 that is rotatably supported by the second support member 48 in the horizontal direction, and the pivot shaft 49. It has a pair of turning members 50 and 50. A substrate gripping mechanism 51, which will be described later, is provided at the tip of these swiveling members 50 and 50. Each turning member 50 may be formed of a metal material such as stainless steel having excellent mechanical strength, or may be formed of carbon having excellent heat resistance. The vertical movement mechanism 11 configured in this manner holds the deposition substrate 14 so as to be detachable from the lower side at the attachment / detachment position A by turning the turning members 50 and 50, and at the deposition position B, the deposition substrate. The surface holding 14 is positioned on the upper side.
[0040]
As shown in FIG. 3, the deposition mechanism 10 constituted by the mechanisms 11 to 13 as described above includes a horizontal movement by the horizontal movement mechanism 13, a vertical movement by the vertical movement mechanism 11, and a turning movement by the turning mechanism 12. By combining these, the substrate gripping mechanism 51 can be positioned at the attachment / detachment position A and the deposition position B, and the deposition substrate 14 is immersed in the molten metal 15 along a predetermined immersion locus. The immersion trajectory is such that the deposition substrate 14 is lowered in the oblique direction from the upstream side in the swirling direction (arrow direction) and immersed in the molten metal 15 and then is raised in the oblique direction to the downstream side in the swirling direction. It is set so that the precipitation plate 2 which is a precipitate solidified and grown by the molten metal 15 is generated in the immersed portion by pulling up from the above.
[0041]
As shown in FIG. 4, the deposition substrate 14 is formed of carbon in a rectangular shape in plan view. The deposition substrate 14 includes a substrate surface 14a (lower surface) on which the deposition plate 2 is deposited, an inverted trapezoidal gripping portion 14b formed on the upper surface (anti-deposition surface) of the deposition substrate 14, and both side surfaces in the transport direction. And a protruding portion 14c formed on the surface. The protrusions 14c are arranged in a pair on the left and right ends of each side so as to reduce blurring between the protrusions 14c and 14c when the deposition substrates 14 and 14 come into contact with each other. These projections 14c prevent a corner portion of the deposition substrate 14 from being damaged by creating a gap between the adjacent deposition substrates 14 and 14, and the substrate feed shown in FIG. The separation work of the deposition substrate 14 by the mechanism 70 is facilitated.
[0042]
Note that the protrusion 14c of the deposition substrate 14 may be formed on at least one side surface in the transport direction. The deposition substrate 14 may be inclined from the substrate surface 14a to the upper surface side so that both end portions of the substrate surface 14a are located inside both end portions of the upper surface.
[0043]
The deposition substrate 14 is detachably held by a substrate gripping mechanism 51 provided in the immersion mechanism unit 37 of FIG. The substrate gripping mechanism 51 is integrally provided with left and right chuck portions 52 and 52 symmetrically. Each of the chuck portions 52 and 52 includes an engaging portion 52a formed on the lower surface so as to engage with the gripping portion 14b, an annular groove portion 52b formed so as to receive a fallen object such as dust, and the annular groove portion 52b. And a suspended portion 52c surrounded by The engaging portions 52a are arranged symmetrically so as to insert the holding portions 14b of the deposition substrate 14. Thereby, the substrate gripping mechanism 51 inserts the gripping portion 14b of the deposition substrate 14 between the engaging portions 52a and 52a when the deposition substrate 14 is moved in the transport direction (carrying-in / out direction). The deposition substrate 14 can be held in the vertical direction.
[0044]
On the other hand, two projecting portions 52d and 52d are arranged opposite to each other on the upper surface of the suspension portion 52c. Pin insertion holes 52e and 52e are formed at the center of both protruding portions 52d and 52d. Between the projecting portions 52d and 52d, as shown in FIG. 4, the turning members 50 and 50 of the above-described immersion mechanism portion 37 are fitted. A carbon pin member 53 is removably inserted into the pin insertion holes 52e and 52e, and the pin member 53 connects the revolving members 50 and 50 to the chuck portions 52 and 52, respectively. It is supposed to let you.
[0045]
The pin member 53 is formed to be shorter than the projected area on the deposition side of the chuck portion 52 so as to avoid direct radiation of radiant heat from the molten metal 15. In addition, a hardened layer 54 is formed on the surface of the pin member 53, and the pin member 53 has a mechanical strength of the surface that is increased by the hardened layer 54, so that the pin member 53 has a pin insertion hole 52 e in the chuck portion 52. Wear when attaching and detaching is reduced. On the other hand, in the chuck portion 52, a hardened layer 54 is formed in the pin insertion hole 52 e that contacts the pin member 53, the engaging portion 52 a that contacts the deposition substrate 14, and the lower surface. Further, the mechanical strength of the contact surface of the chuck portion 52 is increased by the hardened layer 54, so that wear when the pin member 53 is attached and detached and when the deposition substrate 14 is gripped is reduced.
[0046]
In addition, as a formation method of the hardened layer 54, the hardening process which coats a SiC film with surface treatment methods, such as plasma CVD and ion plating, can be mentioned. In addition, the hardened layer 54 may be formed on the entire surface of the substrate gripping mechanism 51. In this case, the overall mechanical strength of the substrate gripping mechanism 51 can be increased. Can be difficult to be damaged even if an impact is applied during transportation. Moreover, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the case where it sets so that the precipitation board | substrate 14 may be reciprocated on the molten metal 15 so that the conveyance path | route of the illustration dashed-dotted line and illustration dashed-two dotted line may not cross | intersect is demonstrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the conveyance path may be set to intersect on the molten metal 15, or as shown in FIG. 7, the conveyance path is intersected on the molten metal 15 and the conveyance path The transport directions may be set in opposite directions.
[0047]
The operation of the semiconductor substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 in the above configuration will be described.
[0048]
(Preparation and maintenance process)
The preparation / maintenance step is performed when the semiconductor substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 is in a state suitable for production before and after the production of the deposition plate 2 is started. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the crucible device 75 is inspected, the crucible 76 is replaced, and the mechanisms in the vacuum vessel 4 are inspected. Further, during the inspection of the crucible device 75, the remaining amount of the object to be melted 101 stored in the storage box 72 of the supply mechanism 71 is confirmed and replenished so as to be an appropriate amount. When the inspection or replacement of each device is completed, the vacuum vessel 4 is sealed. Then, after an evacuation apparatus (not shown) is operated and air is exhausted, an inert gas such as Ar gas is supplied, so that a processing environment different from the external environment is formed in the processing chamber 3.
[0049]
Thereafter, high frequency AC power is supplied to the induction heating coil 77, and a high frequency magnetic field is generated around the crucible 76. As a result, when a strong magnetic field is applied to the surface side of the side wall of the crucible 76, the surface side of the side wall is mainly heated by induction heating, and the amount of heat on the surface side is conducted inward. It will be. Then, a large amount of heat is transmitted from the two directions of the side surface and the bottom surface of the crucible 76, and as a result, the object to be melted 101 is evenly heated by this amount of heat. Further, after the molten metal 15 is reached, the side surface and the lower surface of the molten metal 15 are continuously heated with a large amount of heat, so that the entire molten metal 15 is maintained at a uniform temperature.
[0050]
Further, when the molten metal 15 is formed, the storage chambers 6 and 7 in the vacuum vessel 4 become high temperature, and high-temperature radiant heat is released from the molten metal 15. At this time, part of the radiant heat travels toward the deposition mechanism 10, but the radiant heat that travels to the turning drive unit 39 of the deposition mechanism 10 exhibits the function of the connection support 38 as a heat shielding plate. Thus, the turning drive unit 39 is not directly irradiated. Further, the radiant heat that travels to the driving force transmission mechanism such as the first chain 43a of the deposition mechanism 10 does not directly shine on the driving force transmission mechanism because the first support member 45 functions as a heat shielding plate. Furthermore, the radiant heat that travels to the rotary encoder 46 of the deposition mechanism 10 does not directly shine on the rotary encoder 46 because the cover member 47 functions as a heat shielding plate. Thereby, the internal apparatus of the precipitation mechanism 10 is prevented from thermal degradation due to direct radiation heat.
[0051]
Further, the vertical drive unit 31 and the swivel drive unit 39 accommodate the vertical drive device 35 and the swivel drive device 40 in the storage containers 25 and 25 of the cooling devices 36 and 41, so that the processing chamber 3 can be used in a high temperature environment. Driving is avoided. Therefore, the drive units 31 and 39 are sufficiently prevented from being damaged due to heat. The cooling devices 36 and 41 maintain the storage environment in the storage container 25 at a predetermined temperature or less by exchanging heat with a cooling medium such as cooling water flowing through the cooling pipe. Therefore, when the object to be melted is heated and melted, even if the cooling gas leaks due to damage to the storage container 25 or the like, the cooling water does not come into contact with the molten metal 15 to cause a serious failure.
[0052]
(Substrate transport process)
When the preparation of production is completed by forming the molten metal 15 under the desired processing environment as described above, the substrate carry-in / out mechanism arranged vertically symmetrically about the crucible device 75 as shown in FIG. In 60 and 60, the transfer operation of the deposition substrate 14 is performed. In the following description, for the convenience of description, the transport operation in one substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60 will be described.
[0053]
Specifically, first, a plurality of deposition substrates 14 such as six are set in series with the substrate surface 14a facing upward at a substrate setting position (not shown) arranged on the upstream side of the substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60. . Thereafter, the exhaust operation of the pressure adjusting chamber 61a is stopped by closing the electromagnetic valve 65, and one end of the pressure adjusting chamber 61a is opened by raising the first shielding plate 63. Then, the deposition substrate 14 is carried into the pressure adjusting chamber 61a in a serial state by a conveyance device such as a conveyance roller (not shown).
[0054]
At the time of setting or carrying in the deposition substrate 14, an impact may be applied to each deposition substrate 14 by the contact or collision of the adjacent deposition substrates 14, 14. At this time, since the pair of protrusions 14c and 14c are formed on the front and rear side surfaces in the transport direction of the deposition substrate 14, contact and collision during setting and transport are caused by the protrusions 14c14c of the deposition substrates 14 and 14. It will happen between each other. As a result, it is possible to prevent damage such as chipping of the corner portion due to impact applied to the corner portion of the deposition substrate 14. As a result, since the substrate surface 14a of the deposition substrate 14 maintains its original shape, a deposition plate having a predetermined shape can be obtained with certainty.
[0055]
When all the deposition substrates 14 are loaded into the pressure regulation chamber 61a, the first shielding plate 63 is lowered, and both ends of the pressure regulation chamber 61a are closed. Thereafter, the electromagnetic valve 65 is opened, and the pressure adjusting chamber 61a is evacuated by the exhaust system 66. And the pressure adjustment chamber 61a and the preheating chamber 61b are connected by the other end of the pressure adjustment chamber 61a being opened by the rising of the second shielding plate 64.
[0056]
Thereafter, when the deposition substrate 14 in the pressure adjusting chamber 61a is transferred to the pressure adjusting chamber 61a and all the substrates are transferred into the pressure adjusting chamber 61a, the pressure adjusting chamber 61a, the preheating chamber 61b, Is isolated. In the pressure regulation chamber 61a, the deposition substrate 14 is carried in from the substrate setting position described above.
[0057]
In the preheating chamber 61b, the deposition substrate 14 positioned at the head (uppermost stream side) in the transport direction is opposed to the first preheating heater 82. As a result, when preheating power is supplied to the preheating heater 82, the leading deposition substrate 14 is heated to a predetermined preheating temperature from the preheating heater 82. In addition, when the deposition substrate 14 is heated, dust or the like may be scattered from the deposition substrate 14, but the scattered dust or the like is sucked into the exhaust system 66 and discharged to the outside of the apparatus. The atmosphere of 3 does not deteriorate.
[0058]
Thereafter, the substrate feeding mechanism 70 is operated, and the preheated leading deposition substrate 14 is held between the claw members 71 and 71 while being transported by a distance corresponding to the length of the deposition substrate 14. It is carried into the chamber 61c. The deposition substrate 14 carried into the standby chamber 61c is further preheated by the second preheating heater 83 and adjusted to a desired preheating temperature. Thereafter, the transfer operation by the substrate feed mechanism 70 is repeatedly performed, so that the deposition substrate 14 in the standby chamber 61c is sequentially transported in the direction of the attachment / detachment position A, and the leading deposition substrate 14 in the preheating chamber 61b is sequentially moved. It is conveyed to the waiting room 61c.
[0059]
While the deposition substrate 14 is being transported by the substrate feed mechanism 70 as described above, at the attachment / detachment position A, as shown in FIG. 3, the substrate gripping mechanism 51 has the engaging portions 52a and 52a positioned on the upper side. Waiting in posture. Therefore, when the deposition substrate 14 is transported to the attachment / detachment position A, the gripping portion 14b of the deposition substrate 14 is inserted between the engagement portions 52a and 52a of the substrate gripping mechanism 51 from the side as shown in FIG. The holding state is engaged in the vertical direction.
[0060]
As shown in FIG. 2, when the previous deposition substrate 14 is held by the substrate gripping mechanism 51 during transport to the attachment / detachment position A, the previous deposition substrate 14 is used by the current deposition substrate 14. Is pushed out from the substrate gripping mechanism 51 in the transport direction. Then, the previous deposition substrate 14 pushed out is carried out to the outside of the vacuum vessel 4 via the second transfer table 85, and the deposition plate 2 is separated from the deposition substrate 14 by a peeling mechanism (not shown). As a result, at the attachment / detachment position A, it is possible to simultaneously attach the deposition substrate 14 before deposition to the substrate gripping mechanism 51 and remove the deposition substrate 14 after deposition from the substrate gripping mechanism 51 at the same time. It has become.
[0061]
(Precipitation process)
When the attachment of the deposition substrate 14 to the substrate gripping mechanism 51 is completed in both the substrate carry-in / out mechanisms 60 and 60 as described above, as shown in FIG. The substrate holding mechanism 51 is moved in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction in a state where the direction is constant, and the deposition substrate 14 held by the substrate holding mechanism 51 is immersed in the molten metal 15.
[0062]
Specifically, the substrate gripping mechanism 51 is raised by the vertical movement mechanism 11 while being horizontally moved toward the deposition position B by the horizontal movement mechanism 13. Then, when the substrate gripping mechanism 51 is positioned above the molten metal 15, the turning mechanism 12 is operated, so that the substrate gripping mechanism 51 and the deposition substrate 14 are moved along the immersion locus with the turning center of the turning member 50 as the radius. It is turned. The immersion trajectory can draw an arbitrary curve by a combination of the operations of the mechanisms 11, 12, and 13.
[0063]
At the time of turning, the substrate gripping mechanism 51 turns in a state where the direction of the engaging portions 52a and 52a is made coincident with the transport direction. Accordingly, the projection 14 c of the deposition substrate 14 does not move in the transport direction within the engaging portions 52 a and 52 a, so that the deposition substrate 14 does not fall off the substrate gripping mechanism 51. Then, the deposition substrate 14 thus held by the substrate gripping mechanism 51 is immersed in the molten metal 15 at the deposition position B while being positioned below the substrate gripping mechanism 51 as shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure. The melting object 101 of the molten metal 15 is deposited on the substrate surface 14 a of the working substrate 14. Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the deposition substrate 14 is pulled up from the molten metal 15, whereby the deposition plate 2 having a predetermined thickness is formed on the substrate surface 14 a of the deposition substrate 14.
[0064]
The turning operation of the turning member 50 is continued until the substrate gripping mechanism 51 returns to the position before the turning. At this time, since the turning angle is detected by the rotary encoder 46 in the figure, the substrate gripping mechanism 51 is positioned with high accuracy. Thereafter, the turning mechanism 12 is stopped and the vertical movement mechanism 11 and the horizontal movement mechanism 13 are operated, whereby the substrate gripping mechanism 51 is returned to the attachment / detachment position A. Thereafter, when the next deposition substrate 14 is transported to the attachment / detachment position A by the substrate feeding mechanism 70 in the above-described substrate transporting process, the current deposition substrate 14 is fed out by the next deposition substrate 14.
[0065]
In addition, the deposition operation in one substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60 is completed until the deposition operation is completed in one substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60 as described above and the next deposition substrate 14 is mounted on the substrate gripping mechanism 51. Is similarly implemented. As a result, the deposition plates 2 are sequentially manufactured by one crucible device 75 while the deposition substrates 14 transported by both the substrate loading / unloading mechanisms 60 and 60 are alternately used.
[0066]
As described above, as shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is in communication with the crucible device 75 (melting furnace) that melts and accommodates the molten metal 15 of the object to be melted 101, and the outside of the device. A substrate loading / unloading mechanism 60/60 in which the deposition substrate 14 immersed in the molten metal 15 is carried into and out of the attachment / detachment position A, and two units are arranged in parallel with the melting furnace interposed therebetween in the direction intersecting the loading / unloading direction, A substrate holding mechanism 51 that can attach and detach the deposition substrate 14 (substrate) by moving the substrate 14 in the transfer direction (carrying in / out direction), and the substrate holding mechanism 51 from the attachment / detachment position A to the crucible device 75; The deposition mechanism 10 is configured to immerse the deposition substrate 14 mounted on the substrate gripping mechanism 51 in the molten metal 15 by being lowered.
[0067]
In the present embodiment, the case where the two substrate carry-in / out mechanisms 60 and 60 are provided has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and three or more substrate carry-in / out mechanisms 60 are arranged in parallel. It may be. In the present embodiment, the deposition mechanism 10 moves the substrate gripping mechanism 51 in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction, thereby immersing the deposition substrate 14 in the molten metal 15. It is not limited, and it may be moved in a direction intersecting the transport direction.
[0068]
Moreover, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the case where it sets so that the precipitation board | substrate 14 may be reciprocated on the molten metal 15 so that the conveyance path | route of the illustration dashed-dotted line and illustration dashed-two dotted line may not cross | intersect is demonstrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the conveyance path may be set to intersect on the molten metal 15, or as shown in FIG. 7, the conveyance path is intersected on the molten metal 15 and the conveyance path The transport directions may be set in opposite directions.
[0069]
According to the above configuration, since the crucible device 75 containing the molten metal 15 can be shared by the plurality of substrate carry-in / out mechanisms 60, for example, the deposition substrate 14 is transferred from the substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60 to the deposition mechanism 10. The operation of immersing in the molten metal 15 and the operation of lifting the deposition substrate 14 from the molten metal 15 and delivering it to the substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60 can be continuously performed at short time intervals. As a result, high productivity can be obtained by shortening the cycle time for immersing the deposition substrate 14 in the molten metal 15.
[0070]
Further, if the substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60 is kept at the attachment / detachment position A, the deposition substrate 14 from the outside of the apparatus is carried into the attachment / detachment position A and the attachment of the deposition substrate 14 by the substrate gripping mechanism 51 is completed. . When the deposition substrate 14 is immersed in the molten metal 15, the deposition substrate 14 is moved in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the deposition substrate 14, so that the deposition substrate 14 is moved from the attachment / detachment position A to the molten metal 15 and to the molten metal 15. The deposition substrate 14 does not fall off the substrate gripping mechanism 51 during the immersion. Further, even when moving from the molten metal 15 to the attachment / detachment position A, since the substrate gripping mechanism 51 is moved in a direction intersecting the carry-in / out direction, the deposition substrate 14 does not fall off the substrate gripping mechanism 51. . Thereafter, the substrate gripping mechanism 51 is moved to the attachment / detachment position A and moved in the transport direction (unloading direction). At the same time, the deposition substrate 14 can be removed from the substrate gripping mechanism 51 and carried out of the apparatus. Become. Thereby, since a waiting time does not occur between the carry-in / out operation of the deposition substrate 14 and the dipping operation, high productivity can be realized.
[0071]
Further, the substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60 of the present embodiment is arranged in parallel symmetrically about the crucible device 75. The substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60 may be arranged in parallel in a pair of left and right with the crucible device 75 as the center. Thereby, since the crucible device 75 can be shared by the two substrate carry-in / out mechanisms 60, the cycle time for immersing the deposition substrate 14 in the molten metal 15 can be shortened, and the productivity can be further increased. Furthermore, since the same deposition mechanism 10 can be used for each substrate carry-in / out mechanism 60, the apparatus cost can be reduced.
[0072]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, since a melting furnace containing molten metal can be shared by a plurality of substrate carry-in / out mechanisms, for example, a deposition substrate is transferred from the substrate carry-in / out mechanism to the deposition mechanism. The operation of immersing in the molten metal and the operation of pulling up the deposition substrate from the molten metal in the melting furnace and delivering it to the substrate carry-in / out mechanism can be carried out continuously at short time intervals. As a result, the cycle time for immersing the deposition substrate in the molten metal is shortened, thereby producing an effect that high productivity can be obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a semiconductor substrate manufacturing apparatus in a plan view.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram when the semiconductor substrate manufacturing apparatus is viewed from the front;
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram when the semiconductor substrate manufacturing apparatus is viewed from the side.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a substrate gripping mechanism holding a deposition substrate.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a conveyance path.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a conveyance path.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a conveyance path.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Semiconductor substrate manufacturing apparatus 2 Deposition plate 3 Processing chamber 3a Deposition mechanism accommodation space 3b Substrate movement space 3c Molten metal accommodation space 4 Vacuum vessel 10 Deposition mechanism 11 Vertical movement mechanism 12 Swing mechanism 13 Horizontal movement mechanism 14 Deposition substrate 14a Substrate surface 14b Grasping Part 14c Projection part 15 Molten metal 16 Horizontal transport part 17 Horizontal drive part 23 Horizontal drive unit 24 Connection shaft member 25 Storage container 30 Vertical transport part 31 Vertical drive part 33 Block member 35 Vertical drive unit 36 Cooling device 37 Immersion mechanism part 38 Connection support Body 39 Rotating drive unit 40 Rotating drive unit 41 Cooling device 46 Rotary encoder 47 Cover member 49 Rotating shaft 50 Rotating member 51 Substrate gripping mechanism 52 Chuck unit 52a Engaging unit 60 Substrate loading / unloading mechanism 60a Loading mechanism unit 60b Intermediate mechanism unit 60c Unloading Mechanism 61a Pressure adjustment chamber 61b Preheating chamber 61c Standby chamber 63 First shielding plate 64 Second shielding plate 65 Electromagnetic valve 66 Exhaust system 67 Viewing window 68 First partition member 69 Second partition member 75 Crucible device 76 Crucible 82 First preheating heater 83 Second preheating heater 84 First transport table 85 First 2 transport table 90 supply mechanism 96 raw material transport mechanism 101 object to be dissolved

Claims (2)

A melting furnace that melts the object to be melted and accommodates the molten metal in which the object to be melted is melted ;
Each is connected to the outside of the apparatus, said has loading and unloading the deposition plate substrate which is immersed in the detachable position in the molten metal, across the melting furnace in a direction crossing the loading and unloading direction of the substrate for the deposition plate distribution A plurality of placed substrate loading / unloading mechanisms;
Wearing a detachable substrate gripping mechanism the detachable positioning the deposition substrate which is loading and unloading by the substrate loading and unloading mechanism,
After the substrate gripping mechanism is moved from the detachable position to the melting furnace, by lowering, characterized in that it has a said precipitating substrate mounted on the substrate holding mechanism precipitation mechanism which is immersed in the melt A deposition substrate manufacturing apparatus. The substrate loading and unloading mechanism, deposition plate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that around the said melting furnace are arranged in parallel in the left-right symmetric or pair in the loading and unloading direction.

Images